Each and every time a new manager lands in Major League Soccer, someone invariably asks me: “What do you think of this guy?”

And my answer is always the same. “We’ll see.”

It sounds like a lame-o cop-out, I know. It’s not. It’s the only reasonable man’s response; I generally go on to explain:

The answers are always easy at first. Ideally, anyone worth his weight in practice jerseys understands how to rise and shine in theory.

At the introductory news conference, wisdom flows freely and the solutions reveal themselves like pretty spring flowers at the first warmth of March.

So, I say, “Let’s see what happens when the first real problems come a’ knockin’. Let’s see how he handles the first sticky-wicket locker room issue. Let’s see how he deals with injuries and let’s see if the pressure of the first losing streak – and it’s out there, somewhere – begins to chip away at the all the idealistic resolve.”

A manager’s job does not really start until the first problems come along. It’s how these guys deal with the wrecks, all the little fender benders and all the ugly pile-ups, too, that make them successes or failures in the coaching biz.

Well, Mike Petke is about to reveal himself a little. The New York Red Bulls rookie manager didn’t need long before wading knee deep into a muddy field.

I’m not saying Petke can or cannot adjust, overcome and adapt. I’m just saying, “We’ll see.”

For the second consecutive week, Petke’s team blew a lead and looked rather unable, ill equipped, unwilling or something in between to deal with a second half that needed some figuring out. Leadership and know-how were required but turned up conspicuously missing one more time late Sunday as San Jose rallied for two late goals in a 2-1 win at Buck Shaw Stadium.

The issues to deal with, in brief:

New York fell completely to pieces in the final 10 minutes.

It all started with the visitors being completely impotent in dealing with San Jose’s high pressure; Petke’s side simply could not move the ball out of its own end.

The team paid a high price for left back Roy Miller’s awful spell; he made at least three critical errors in the utter fiasco that was his team’s last 10 minutes late Sunday.

Finally, if Thierry Henry sprinkled a few seeds of discord with his unflattering comments last week about the collective wisdom of his teammates, what in the world might the demanding Frenchman say now?

“We need guys to man up and take control and battle. That’s what we need, especially late in games.

“They put three forwards up top, they really pushed the play. We’re supposed to bypass their front line and possess in their end of the field. For some reason, we didn’t have guys who wanted to possess it tonight.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to really rethink if we’re going to be a possession team. because if we can’t be or we refuse to be, then I’m going to bring on guys who can win head balls and just hammer the ball 60, 70 yards up every game and maybe get a flick up and score.”

Now, before we start shoveling any dirt on graves or anything like that, this should be said: the Red Bulls season opened with two fairly difficult road trips. Getting back home this week (in the team’s home opener Saturday against D.C. United – “Rivalry Week,” you know …) should help ease a bit of the stress and strain.

“Arsenal, as a team, look in good shape and whilst we have a lot of confidence, given their form too, it isn’t a good time to play them.

“At times, Arsenal have struggled with consistency, and it has cost them, but you sense this could be their year. It’s important for us to give ourselves an opportunity to get something out of the game, we need to stay in the match and frustrate them.”

This week’s match with Arsenal kicks off a four-week run that goes Arsenal, Saints, Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea.

Nicolas Loderio is getting set to play in the MLS Cup finals, something that only came to pass with a team visit to the United States, and the assistance of Luis Suarez.

According to Seattle Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey, he spoke with Lodeiro often in his attempts to bring the 27-year-old from Boca Juniors to Major League Soccer. The moment that swayed him was a trip to the US. A business trip.

With Uruguay competing in the Copa America Centenario, it allowed the two to speak more frequently, but when the Uruguayan became frustrated with his own handle of the native language, a friend stepped in to help. He asked national teammate Suarez to help translate, and thus the transfer came to pass.

“You don’t have body language, it’s harder than it is straight to the face and so he just got frustrated that he couldn’t understand everything that I’m saying,” Lagerwey told MLSSoccer.com’s radio show. “And so he says, ‘Hold on, speak to my friend,’ and I said, ‘OK,’ and I have no idea what’s happening. And Luis Suarez gets on and says, ‘Hi, this is Luis Suarez, how are you?’ And I’m like, ‘Morning, Mr. Suarez, how are you?’ And he was our translator.”

Lodiero has been a revelation for the Sounders since joining in the summer. A creative force all season, the Uruguayan has scored four goals in five playoff matches, bursting onto the national scene on the biggest stage.

“It was just funny. Nico and I, we talked fairly regularly during the process, in part because it took four months for the thing to play out,” “And he was in the US for the Copa America with Uruguay, obviously, and in hindsight that ended up being a big deciding factor for him, because he brought his wife and his little son and they got to see America and I think liked it and developed a comfort level with it. And I think that’s what ultimately pushed them to make the leap, but I was talking and Nico’s English is actually pretty, pretty good, but he isn’t always so comfortable on the phone.”

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Zinedine Zidane is one match away from coaching Real Madrid to a new unbeaten record.

When Zidane replaced Rafa Benitez midway through last season, the inexperienced former midfield standout got off to an auspicious start with a 5-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Eleven months and one Champions League title later, Madrid faces Deportivo again at home on Saturday with the chance of surpassing its longest unbeaten run since the club was founded in 1902.

On Wednesday, Madrid equaled a club record of 34 games without a loss set in 1989 under coach Leo Beenhakker when it drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund.

“It’s important to continue to make history and continue our good run,” Zidane said after the match. “I don’t think it’s very important for me to leave my mark. What interests me the most is to continue with this great run that we’re on.”

Last season, when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez tapped Zidane to take over a struggling team, the decision smelled of desperation.

A fan favorite from his playing days as part of Madrid’s “galaticos” bunch, Zidane was promoted from coaching the reserve team to take over a side that was lurching from one embarrassing episode to the next.

Madrid’s 2015-16 campaign had started with Perez flubbing his play to sign away Manchester United goalie David De Gea. The team was then disqualified from the Copa de Rey for fielding an illegible player, and it endured a 4-0 defeat from Barcelona at home as it failed to click with Benitez.

Perez needed to make an impact move. But instead of searching for a veteran manager, he charged the unproven Zidane with turning around Madrid’s group of talented underachievers.

At first, the team remained erratic, and even looked set to bow out of the Champions League after a shocking 2-0 loss at German side Wolfsburg.

But that defeat on April 6 proved to be a catalyst. The team hasn’t lost since, recovering to claim its 11th European Cup and almost nip Barcelona for the Spanish league crown, before roaring out to lead la Liga this season.

Zidane, whose top-tier coaching experience had been limited to his stint as an assistant under Carlo Ancelotti, has now reached the half-century mark as head manager. During that 50-match period, he has overseen 37 wins, 11 draws and only two losses. That other loss came at Atletico Madrid in February.

“The players have to be congratulated. They’re the ones out on the pitch, it’s them who run, fight and dig in,” Zidane said. “We also have to thank the fans, who always get behind the team and support us. They’ve got to take some credit for what the team is achieving”.

Gifted with world-class stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, Zidane focused on getting more from Madrid’s supporting cast. He put a new emphasis on defense in his midfield by favoring Mateo Kovacic and Casemiro over flashier playmakers James Rodriguez and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, and he has helped the little-known Lucas Vazquez blossom into an important piece of its attack.

“(Zidane) has gotten us to work hard and for things to go well for us, and that is paying off with this run of 34 unbeaten games,” defender Dani Carvajal said. “Everyone on the team has words of praise for him.”

Whereas the draw with Dortmund was disappointing because it cost Madrid a first-place finish in its Champions League group, its 1-1 stalemate earned last weekend at Barcelona tasted of victory. The “clasico” draw kept Madrid six points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Spanish table.

After it plays Deportivo, Madrid heads to Japan for the Club World Cup.

If Zidane sets the new club mark, his next goal would be the milestone held by Barcelona under counterpart Luis Enrique, whose 39-game unbeaten run was ended by Madrid last April.